- Stan Wawrinka is eliminated in the 1st round of the US Open by Italian Mattia Bellucci in 3 sets 4:6, 6:7 (5:7), 3:6.
- The 39-year-old Swiss fought back particularly in the second set. However, the playful and quick Bellucci ultimately proved too strong.
- After Dominic Stricker and Viktorija Golubic, the last Swiss hope is now out after the opening round.
Stan Wawrinka (ATP 176) has to pack his bags in New York, where he won his third and, to date, last Grand Slam title in 2016, already after the 1st round. In the fourth and final match of the day in Stadium 17, his spirited and confident opponent Mattia Bellucci (ATP 101) was too strong in the end. The 3-set defeat after 2:13 hours also means that Wawrinka will fall out of the top 200 in the world rankings.
The biggest chance to avert that and find his way back into the match came in the 3rd set. With the score at 2:2, Wawrinka had 2 break points, but Bellucci expertly saved both with an ace. The Italian then took it a step further: Shortly after, he achieved a service break to 4:2 through a gift from Wawrinka. With the first match point and notably with another ace, the serve-strong Bellucci completed the smooth 3-set triumph.
Contentious Start
The match started quite emotionally. Just a few minutes in, Wawrinka and the umpire got into a dispute. The reason: With the score at 1:1 and 30:0 for the Swiss, a drop shot bounced twice before Bellucci brought it back into play. That was how Wawrinka saw it – but not the umpire. He awarded the point to the Italian and remained steadfast in the heated discussion that followed.
Legend:
Did not have the same starting point at the beginning
Stan Wawrinka and the umpire.
EPA/JUSTIN LANE
Shortly after, Wawrinka – prompted by a double fault – suffered the first break at 2:3. But the 39-year-old responded immediately: With 4 points in a row, he secured the direct rebreak to 3:3 with a beautiful forehand volley. However, after another weak service game from the Swiss, Bellucci was ahead with a break again. The 23-year-old then used his first set point shortly after to win the set 6:4.
Exciting 2nd Set
In the 2nd set, Wawrinka significantly improved. However, he had to survive a tricky moment right at the start. In the first game, Wawrinka saved a break point, scored 3 times in a row, and took a 1:0 lead. In this set, which included some spectacular rallies, everything remained on track until it went to the tiebreak.
And there too, both players held their serves. What Bellucci and Wawrinka then offered the spectators at a score of 5:5 was tennis at its finest. After a long back-and-forth, the point went to Bellucci because Wawrinka’s passing shot got stuck on the net edge. Shortly thereafter, due to a volley error from Wawrinka, the first minibreak and thus the decision in the 2nd set became a reality.